


Flashes Of Pana

by believersoftomorrow



Series: Flashes of: [1]
Category: Believers of Tomorrow, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Believers of Tomorrow - Freeform, Character Introduction, Coming of Age, Fluff, Gen, Identity Issues, One Shot, Space Exploration Program, teaser, time lapse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-17 22:29:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16982973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/believersoftomorrow/pseuds/believersoftomorrow
Summary: To celebrate the arrival of Believers of Tomorrow, a Voltron inspired full length story and comic, we will be releasing a mini series introducing each character who will play a part. Today, Pana, a Pidge inspired character.





	Flashes Of Pana

**Author's Note:**

> Be sure to follow us here and on our instagram believersoftomorrow, or our Tumblr under the same name for more content :)

**6 years old**

It was time for recess. The kids were outside making a line to get through the monkey bar. This was the new thing everyone was obsessed with at the moment.

Normally Pana would be in that line, waiting to make it to the next bar. She wasn't feeling it today though. There were other things to be thinking about today. Like her project.

Pana missed Friday last week and there had been this project that she got assigned to do that was supposed to be due on Monday, which was today. So, she’d been given it today to hand in next Friday.

It wasn't that Pana couldn't do the project. Her teacher had given her the same amount of days everyone had to complete it, but Pana _hated_ being the last one to do things, it made her agitated and frustrated.

She sat on the sidewalk of the field and started planning out her project. Thankfully it was science, Pana liked science and she was also very good at it. 

She had to create an object that could move, kind of like a robot. Her teacher had given her a list of instructions and supplies she needed to make it possible.

As she was drawing the model of how she wanted this to look, she thought about how her Dad and her brother, Solace, could help her with this. They had always found ways to make things cooler and more technical.

xxxxxxxx

At dismissal, Pana had spotted her dark blue SUV with the name "Pana" on the tag placed on the front window. She scurried over and slid the car door open on the side of the car and hopped right in. 

"Well someone seems excited to go home,” her dad chuckled. 

Pana dropped her bag on the floor and buckled her seat belt, "Dad! I got a project to do on Friday! But since I wasn't here I still have time to do it. And guess what it is?!" 

Garrett, her father peaked at the rearview mirror to see the smile his daughter had plastered on her face. "What is it?"

"A ROBOT!" She shouted. "You and Solace can help me make it very cool now! Isn't that exciting? I can learn how to build new technology like you!" 

When Garrett reached the stop light he shifted his body to face Pana. "I'm looking forward to it sweetie, this will be a good opportunity to get a head start. You know, that is how I first started to learn I was really into science and technology right?"

Pana’s eyes widened in shock, “No way! Really?” Her dad nodded.

When they pulled up to the driveway Pana immediately ran to the door and swung it open. “Solace! Solace! Solace where are you?”

Solace peeked out from the wall holding his laptop as if he was about to go somewhere with it, “Woah, what are you so excited over?” 

Pana got out her red folder and pulled out a sheet of paper where she modeled what she wanted to do, “I got this late project to do where I have to build this machine, kind of like a robot. And I was thinking that you and Dad can help me out with it!”

Solace placed his laptop on the couch and took the sheet from Pana’s small hands and looked it over. 

When he looked up a smirk was plastered onto his face, “Well let’s get started then!”

Pana’s eyes had never sparkled so much from how excited she was to feel apart of her brother and fathers work. 

xxxxxxxx

**12 years old**

Pana has only been in middle school for a couple of months and needless to say, she already wanted to get out of what seemed to be a hell hole she couldn’t get out of.

 

She had always heard that no one really ever had a good middle school experience. Mainly because it was an awkward age where everyone was starting to transition into puberty. Needless to say, she was hoping things would turn out just a bit better for her.

Boy, was she _wrong_.

In elementary school, there were cliques, a group of popular kids, but it was way worse in middle school. 

It was like if you didn’t fit into their standards of “cool,” you’d be completely dismissed from your own peers.

It’s not that Pana could not fit in with them, it was that she chose not to. 

Pana could always come to school in a dress or tight jeans and a nice blouse, with long silky straight hair, and she could even start to wear her contacts.

But none of those things screamed "Pana" to her. She wasn’t exactly sure what did scream Pana anyway, even the clothes she wore regularly didn’t feel like it was made for her. But they were comfortable and that is the only thing that mattered to her for now.

Her daily outfit consisted of regular jeans and some science or marvel t-shirt, along with her round glasses and she had always left her long wavy hair alone.

Even though she got called a nerd or got socially outed, she had decided to just not care and move on with her school day with things that did matter to her. School, books, and being in tune with anything science related.

When the bell had rung for dismissal, Pana had gone to her locker and put some stuff away and to take some things out for homework. When she shut the locker door, she sighed and walked out. Somehow she wished for this to be all over.

xxxxxxxx

**14 years old**

Walking down the stage and receiving her diploma had to be one of the best feelings for Pana. It was only her 8th-grade graduation, but she felt this huge wave of relief once she walked off and joined her family as they wrapped her in a large group hug, congratulating her on finishing a new chapter in her life.

Pana had finished 8th grade with a bunch of science awards and being at the top of her class. 

She made it the whole 3 years solely relying on herself throughout the painful process, but she did it. And finally realizing that, she couldn’t help but get a little emotional on how badly she was waiting for this day.

When she got home, she was welcomed to balloons and cake on the table. 

As she walked over to see what her family had done for her, something was written on the cake that just managed to crack a smile on her face:

“Cheers to escaping hell Pana!”

She rose her head up and met eyes with Solace, his hazel eyes were full of mischief. This was his doing. 

Her mom came with a bottle of sparkling apple cider and poured some into everyone's cup. Then she lifted the cup and everyone else followed by example.

“To Pana.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, “To Pana!”

xxxxxxxx

 

**15 years old**

School was about to start, and Pana had made some changes.

Over the summer she really worked on who she was and who she wanted to be. She decided she wanted her high school experience to be different, even though it already was going to be different since she will be attending SEP with her family- but she wanted this to be a good experience regardless.

And to start with this process of drastic change, she first wanted to change her hair.

Pana’s hair had always been the same, long and wavy. But now it was time for a change and Pana convinced her mom to take her to the hair salon to get a haircut. 

When it was her turn, she showed the lady exactly what she wanted. That was when she had started to tie Pana’s hair into different sections and leaving out some space in-between the rubber band and her scalp.

Once the scissors were in her hands, she gave Pana a look and Pana nodded, allowing her to proceed.

_Snip Snip Snip_

That was the only sound Pana could hear, and with every snip, the more excited she got.

xxxxxxxx

Pana had told the hairdresser that she did not want to see her hair until it was fully done.

So throughout the whole process, Pana had her eyes closed as they cut her hair and dyed it She did have to open her eyes to walk to the sink though, but she made sure that her eyes didn't linger around to look in the mirror, even with how tempting it was.

When the blow drier turned off, Pana knew this was the moment of truth. 

She grabbed her round glasses and looked in the big mirror in front of her. 

A huge smile spread across her face as she saw the semi-shaved sides and the fluffy ginger hair on the top with bright neon green tips. 

Pana wanted to cry out of happiness but held it back. 

She couldn't help but feel that she was one step closer to feeling like herself.

xxxxxxxx

Pana was beyond ecstatic to start her high school years at SEP. She would be around the same area as Solace and her dad, which meant she could visit them and have lunch whenever she had any free time.

That was not the only think Pana was excited about though.

She now had the chance to be a total geek and learn more about technology and engineering and with that given also about Space. 

She remembered asking Solace about whether or not her experience there will be better than the one she had in middle school. 

Solace had said that since the SEP is focused on science and technology, she will have a greater chance to learn and to work with others since everyone basically had the same interests.

Pana wasn't as social as it was, but deep inside she did hope for it to be different. She hoped that maybe, just possibly, she could make some friends here.

xxxxxxxx

 

Pana was a little nervous about starting at SEP because of her horrible middle school experience.

Also because since she had graduated at the top of her class, she was going to be put into advanced classes and won’t really be the typical SEP “freshman.” She will be like a Junior. It’s like she skipped grades.

So she was a bit anxious about entering a class with people 2 or 3 years older than her, Senior and Junior leveled classes.

But she tried to shrug it off and not worry about it.

Walking into the doors of her engineering class, the teacher had put assigned seats up on the board. 

Pana squinted from afar and saw how she was marked to be placed in seat 11 next to someone named Manuia Tusi. 

Arriving at her seat Pana placed her bag down on the side and placed her books on her desk, waiting patiently until-

"Hey! I'm Manuia Tusi. What's your name?"

Pana fell off her seat and onto the floor. Her glasses had fallen off her face because of the impact. She spread her arms, patting down on the floor trying to figure out where they landed when she finally felt thin metal on her fingers.

She slid her glasses on and when her vision cleared she saw a big tan hand in front of her.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you like that." She looked up and met up with hazel eyes, loose black hair with a headband, and a very large buff dude. 

She accepted his hand and got pulled up with strong force. She scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. Luckily no one seemed to have noticed what happened.

"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting to be ambushed like that." 

Manuia pulled out Pana's seat and gestured for her to sit down. Then he did the same with his own chair.

"Pana Henson."

Manuia rose his eyebrows at her.

"My name...it's Pana Henson," she answered nervously.

Manuia slammed his hands on the table, "Oh! Sorry, I forgot I even asked that!" He took out his hand, "Nice to meet you, fellow human." 

Pana laughed and brought up her hand which was very small compared to his and shook it. "Nice to meet you too fellow ambusher."

xxxxxxxx

It was only the first day and Pana had gotten along very well with Manuia. They had many classes together but not all of them. They did though have medical class, which they needed to take mandatorily even if you weren't looking into that field because SEP thought you should be "prepared" in case of an "emergency." What harm could there be in making technology?

Hugging her books to her chest Pana scanned the board as she walked into the room with Manuia. They had assigned seats next to each other along with someone by the name of Leoncio Flores. 

Pana lifted her glasses up. "Who could that be? His last name sounds Hispanic." 

Meanwhile, when she looked up to see Manuia, he had sparkles in his eyes. "Yes! Leoncio is in this class with us! Come on, you need to meet him." 

Manuia dragged Pana over to a tall boy with tan skin, light brown hair with an undercut, and his eyes, well one of his eyes was blue while the other was brown. Heterochromia Pana thought, pretty rare. 

"Leo! It's been a while, haven’t seen you since early summer, where you been?"

Leoncio smiled and shook his head. "I went to Florida to keep my mom company, then she wanted me to go to Cuba with her for a couple of weeks. It was nice being home for a while with my family you know?" 

Pana noted his Spanish accent, although it wasn't very thick or noticeable, it was still there.

Manuia clapped his back, "That's great man," then he pointed to Pana. "This is Pana by the way, I met her in my engineering classes and we've had a couple of other classes together. She's cool."

Leoncio looked at her and grinned. He took out his hand, "It's nice to meet you Pana." He reached out and pulled off her glasses from her face, "Though I don't think you'll need those glasses to see my good looks."

Manuia snatched the glasses from Leoncio and gave them back to Pana. "God, your lines are still horrible Leo!"

Leo had an offended look on his face and poked Manuia on the chest, "My man, you know that's my introduction to everybody that has glasses. I had an opportunity and I took it."

"Whatever you say." 

Then they all sat down and started talking about their summer and what they wanted to do this school year. Leo told a story about this prank he pulled on his sister Carolina when he got back at SEP since apparently, she worked at here. He said that he took all her shoes from home and left them in Cuba. It earned him a good slap to the face but, was totally worth it for the priceless look of horror on her face. 

And that's when they all laughed and Manuia joined in on telling stories. Pana did too, taking herself by surprise.

All of this talking and all of these stories had given Pana a happy feeling in her chest.

She didn't want want to hold onto this small cloud of hope this early, but something deep inside told her that this circle of friends, was going to lead into something great.


End file.
